Interior Decorating

Written by Elizabeth Rose

Interior decorating is the art of making your home beautiful. There are, of course, professional decorators you can hire to consult with you about transforming your space. If you have a large home or a complex, time-consuming project in mind, it's usually best to hire a pro. On the other hand, if you just want to fix the place up a bit, you might be able to do it yourself.

Tools for Interior Decorating

Before we get to materials like paint, tapestries, fabric choices and the like, let's discuss two, more basic elements you should consider before getting started. The most obvious element to bear in mind in decorating is the use of color. The second element that comes into play is texture. The size of your space or project also factors in, of course, but let's focus on these other elements of interior decorating, first.

Color serves many purposes. It affects the mood of a room's occupants, so it ought to be considered carefully. Color can also make a space seem smaller or larger, which is important, particularly if you have a small space for home decorating. Cool colors, such as blue, green and lavender are generally thought of as soothing. Warm shades, like red, yellow and orange are considered exciting. Some warm shades can be used in deeper or browned tones and matched with brighter 'cool' tones, for an earthy, ethnic or Southwestern effect.

Accepted theories say that, generally, darker, more intense colors can make a space seem smaller. So if you have a small space, go light. If you have a small, dark space, however, you might want to zing it up selectively with one intense, bright color.

Interior Decorating--The Warm Fuzzy Approach

Texture is the other element in interior decorating and one that people frequently overlook. Too much smooth texture can make you feel like you're at the office. Too much thick texture can make you feel smothered by piles of fluff. Balance is key. Seek to contrast textures with each other for a look that is pleasing to the eye and hand.

This is where fabrics, especially small, portable items like pillows, tapestries and rugs can really come in handy. You'll want to change things around, now and then. These types of items allow you to do it easily. Depending on where you shop, they can be quite affordable too. There certainly is no law about how much you can spend, either, so splurge on a luxurious item or two and center your design around it. An elegant piece can really pull a room together.